NZ teams in Australian competitions: a comprehensive history

By Liam Swiggs

Auckland has been granted a licence to enter the A-League next year, with the club to be backed by American billionaire Bill Foley. It marks the first time ever New Zealand will have two separate sporting franchises in a single Australian competition - and with the NRL looking to expand to 18 teams in the next year or so we could very likely see a second professional rugby league side in Aotearoa alongside our beloved Warriors. Join us on a journey throughout NZ sporting history as we look at all the teams from past and present that have run the gauntlet and competed against our cousins across the ditch:

Auckland/NZ Warriors - NRL

Tāmaki Makaurau has always been considered the spiritual hub of league in New Zealand. For many years, Auckland produced most of the Kiwis team with many of these players signed to professional contracts in Australia or England. After years of planning and investigating finally it was announced in May 1992 that an Auckland-based club would join the prestigious Winfield Cup in 1995, marking the first ever NZ sporting franchise to enter an Aussie competition - and it's been a rollercoaster ever since. You'd have to be living under a rock to not know the plight of the recently nicknamed 'Wahs' and their loyal die-hard supporter base, a club that for the most has struggled in the Australian competition facing setback after setback despite Aotearoa being the second strongest league nation in the world. Still on a journey to lock in that elusive maiden premiership the nation's most beloved and frustrating club have come oh so close on two occasions, losing the NRL Grand Final in 2002 & 2011. But with a new coach on board and a renewed sense of buy-in culture at the Warriors, they shocked the world when they made it to the semi-finals this season. Which begs the question: is 2024 really 'our year?'

Auckland/NZ Football Kingz (Defunct) - National Soccer League

New Zealand's first professional soccer club - that's right, Kingz with a 'z'. From 1999 until their disbandment in 2004, they competed in the Australian National Soccer League. Football Kingz FC, also known as Auckland Kingz in Australia, participated in the league's final five seasons with very mixed success, unable to advance to the playoffs in every season they competed. Little money was spent on strengthening the team in 2004 with the knowledge that the NSL would fold, and there were whispers that the team was having financial difficulties. The club announced in the middle of the season that the club was being purchased and its debts would be settled.

New Zealand Knights (Defunct) - A-League

The Kingz then morphed into the New Zealand Knights, a new team for the A-League, Australia's national football competition. A new era for professional football in New Zealand brought hope to the country with the aim of reigniting the fanbase to bring it back to its glory days. Even with a roster that included a number of players with significant English football experience, many thought the Knights would struggle to compete in the new A-League and unfortunately, they weren't wrong. Finishing dead last in their two seasons the Knights proved to be a short-lived venture, with the FFA taking away the Knights' A-League licence after they struggled on the field alongside with little interest from the NZ public. Just like that it was curtains for NZ's second professional football franchise after only two years.

Auckland/NZ Breakers - NBL

Of all the sporting franchises mentioned here, none have even come close to the sustained periods of success The Breakers had. Brought into the Australian National Basketball League in the 2003 - 2004 season as the first non-Aussie side, the early days saw The Breakers languishing near the bottom of the league for the first four years - before flirting with the finals for the next three. But then came a reign of pure domination from 2011 to 2016, one of the greatest sides to have played in the NBL. Only time and rule changes (arguably themed around the Breakers' style of play) brought an end to an era that featured a three-peat winning in 2011, 2012 & 2013 consecutively and following it up with a final title in 2015. The years since have featured an ownership change and a series of on and off the court struggles, but this still takes nothing away from them being the literally the only NZ sporting team to win an Australian sporting completion.

Wellington Phoenix - A League

With hopes of reigniting the love of domestic football here in Aotearoa, the Wellington Phoenix entered the Australian A-League in the 2007-08 season. Having been founded by NZ Football in March 2007 as a New Zealand-based team to replace the woeful Knights, club owner Terry Serepisos said of the name that "it symbolises the fresh start, the rising from the ashes, and the incredible Wellington support that has come out". Unlike its Kiwi predecessors, the Phoenix have enjoyed their fair share of success, qualifying for finals football in eight out of their 16 seasons so far. Lately though, they constantly struggle to retain local domestic players. The lure of international clubs all around the world repeatedly poaches their talent, with the roster feeling like somewhat of a revolving door at different periods throughout the club's history.

Christchurch Sirens (Defunct) - WNBL

So far the only South Island based trans-Tasman team, the Christchurch Sirens played their first (and only) season in the Women's NBL league in 2007-08 but withdrew when they couldn't find financial backing for a second year. They were supposed to serve as an important part of the pathway towards the Tall Ferns and Basketball New Zealand, and have tried to convince Basketball Australia to allow the franchise back into the competition on multiple occasions. Rumours of the team firstly relocating to Wellington, then North Harbour, circulated in the media for a few years before the flame finally died out as we began to see more and more Kiwi talent making the move across the ditch to play for Australian franchises. Fun fact: The Sirens' roster featured future White Ferns captain and all-round NZ Cricket legend Suzie Bates.

NZ Warriors (Women, on hiatus) - NRLW

Rugby league is thought to be a predominantly male sport, but you may be surprised to hear that woman first began playing in the early 1920s. But only recently has the women's game been acknowledged on a professional level. Along with the Broncos, Dragons, and Roosters, the Warriors were founding members of the NRLW in 2018. However, after Covid-19 struck in 2020, it required them to field a side that was primarily composed of Australian players, and they were forced to leave the league in 2021. The club was already financially struggling: the men's first grade side was based out of Australia for almost three years, and they had to scrap the second grade NSW Cup and U19 SG Ball sides. Talk of reinstating the Warriors Women side with the NRLW's 2025 expansion have been positive, with CEO Cameron George making his desire to do so very clear.

Wellington Phoenix (Women) - A League Women

Over the years, there had been conversations about forming a professional women's football team in New Zealand to enhance the quality of women's football in New Zealand and the Oceania region. When the Wellington Phoenix were granted an A League Women's licence for the 2021 - 2022 season it made them just the third female sporting franchise to enter an Australian competition. While the Women's Phoenix side had a brutal beginning - picking up the wooden spoon in their first two seasons- they have rebounded brilliantly so far in 2023-24 to be sitting third on the table. That slow start is understandable considering the Phoenix Women have had to start from scratch, and like the men, player retention has been difficult. Right now the Phoenix find themselves as a side which has been made up predominately of younger domestic talent, with the majority of the Football Ferns players still opting to play in overseas competitions.

Auckland Tuatara (Defunct) - Australian Baseball League

Another Kiwi sporting franchise that has unfortunately met a financial demise. The Auckland Tuatara were the only New Zealand team to participate in the ABL, with three full seasons to their name before Covid struck and saw them miss two years' worth of action. The layoff racked up millions of dollars in operating costs for an already niche sport, meaning the plug was pulled on the venture in April this year. The Tuatara did have reasonable success, with the team securing two playoffs berths and winning their division in the 2019 - 2020 season.